NLS: Torquay United v Weston Super Mare 3pm 1/4/24

2 up and shpuld be cruising. Should be 4-2 to Weston so much time and space through our midfield.despite the two goals we look shambolic at times. While weston are passing around us like man city. Nothing about our tactics or style of play has changed from Johnsons days though mind setts take a while to change i will admit. Continue as we are and we will concede mote than the one. No confidence either on halstead blows hot and cold and doesnt dominate on crosses in any shape or form Quite impressed how good technically weston look on theball or is that just us making them look that way?

Another desperately disappointing performance today. Not for the first time this season Torquay started very well and raced into a 2 goal lead. The Aveley home game under Downes a few weeks ago was a similar story. In both games Torquay went flying out the blocks and looked dangerous building some decent attacks. With no big man up front our goals came from crosses on the ground rather than lofting it high which made total sense. Before Torquay's opener WSM did have a decent chance and Moxey had to do his customary goal line clearance with Halstead beaten.

Archer assisted Torquay's first goal for Stobbs to finish off at close range and shortly afterwards sponsors MOTM Jude-Boyd made it 2-0. Surely it would be a comfortable win as Torquay were looking confident? However WSM got a goal back rather too easily and this was the turning point of the match. In truth for the rest of the game Torquay's game just disintegrated to a disjointed mess and WSM bossed the rest of first half and large parts off the second half.

There may have been a foul on Jude-Boyd leading to WSM's equaliser in the second half but the truth is the defence looked too wide open as WSM raced down our left and crossed to make it 2-2. Torquay huffed and puffed but there was no noticeable team shape in the second half. When we did have the ball there were few options so we often resorted to hit and hope football. Our team shape looked too stretched to me as well and not compact enough.

Torquay's third goal by Jude-Boyd was a total gift from their keeper as a daisy cutter shot went through his legs. We celebrated fully now expecting a fortunate win as there were only around 10 minutes remaining. However a low shot from the edge of the area beat Halstead. Talking of Halstead he is a strange keeper. As usual he make some decent saves but he gets beaten far too easily for my liking and I really believe he can do a lot better with a lot of goals he concedes. In other words I am not convinced he does the basics right all too often with general positioning. WSM's third goal looked saveable from my angle and that has been the case all season.

Torquay hit the cross bar late on a couple of times but it was frantic play and mainly coming from set pieces. A draw was probably a fair result in the end. Both terams had their good moments going forward but both teams looked vulnerable in defence.

There was some polite applause from the Pop side at full time but also some voices of discontent. I personally did not do either at full time and just strode out in frustration. One more home game to go for me but I am doing this to support the club in its hour of need rather than enjoying the poor standard of football on show. On the pitch this season just has not got going and the team lack any sort of mental resolve. As I said as soon as WSM scored their first goal we went to pieces and this has happened all season. Full timers - you are having a laugh!

Thought we did ok in the first 15 minutes putting Weston under pressure but even before we scored Moxey had to make a goal line clearance and from my angle looked very much over the line. Archer made the first goal finding the space in the area to cross to Stobbs who just had to guide it home. Next attack and a good cross to the far post saw an unmarked Judd Boyd with the time and space to fire home.

We should have kicked on from there but it all started to fall apart with Weston, finding more possession, time and space, and were able to work the ball in the area all too easily to fire home pass Halsted. They got the equalizer very early in the second half, slightly unlucky for us with Judd Boyd, taking a knock and Archer seemingly pushed over to concede possession giving them the space to exploit on a counter with the resulting cross in the 6 yard box picked up by the second of two Weston players to slot the ball home. Third goal was exceedingly embarrassing for their keeper shot along the ground 25 yards out straight to the keeper but spinning through his legs to just roll over the line.

With less than 10 minutes remaining it should have been the winner, but Reid was able to work the ball on the edge of the box to create a small amount of space and fire home into the bottom left hand corner. Stobbs did hit the crossbar in injury time but it never really looked like dropping in.

Because our current manager is a GJ disciple. It's bonkers that the club could think that Downes will change the style of the club when he has been part of the problem over the past three seasons. I mean that the problem has been over the past three seasons, even though Downes has been here longer. Last season we conceded 80 goals being relegated, at an average of 1.74 goals per game. This season we are conceding at 1.76 goals per game in a lower devision. Yet we persist with the defensive architect of the GJ era. Madness!

Last week's clean sheet was clearly the exception to the rule...

I was interested to hear Dave Thomas bemoaning the side's inability to defend transition yesterday. If opposition players break away from defence, it is vital that our players mark, track and/or jockey them away from danger. If we are just watching opponents run up the pitch towards goal then no wonder we are conceding so many goals. Many clubs employ a specialist transition coach and while that is beyond our finances*, we can surely bring in in somebody who has such experience that they can formulate a plan for us to follow when we lose the ball.


*Actually, if we have lost £3m over the past three seasons up to last summer, we most certainly could have afforded a specialist transition coach. And a specialist coach who can organist the defence. Where has the money gone?!